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The Northern Wasteland (Rising Dawn)
The Northern Wasteland is the vast, desolate region that encompasses the remains of the Crystal Empire, and the major Equestrian cities along the Crystal Borderlands, such as the cities of Poneva, Flankorage, and Stormpeak. The Northern Wasteland, also known as the Northern Wastes, or simply, the North, is caught in a state of perpetual, wintry twilight. The Northern Wasteland appears in, and is the primary setting of Fallout: Equestria - Rising Dawn. History and Environment Present Day The Northern Wasteland is caught in a state of perpetual darkness, similar to a polar twilight, but rather than lasting a few months, this darkness has remained constant for the last two hundred years that passed after the bombs fell during the Great War. This perpetual night is a result of the mixing of the Grand Pegasus Enclave's cloud curtain, and the harsh, inhospitable winds and weather that are blowing in from the Frozen North. Together, these two elements, with the cloud curtain blocking out the sun, and the Frozen North's winds, create the environmental state that plagues the Northern Wasteland today. Pre-War and Wartime Even before the war, the North was a cold, snowy region, but not barren and lifeless as it is today. Further to the North, the Crystal Empire kept at bay the harsh winds and unforgiving weather from the Frozen North with the Crystal Heart. The Crystal Heart, '''empowered by the Crystal Ponies, created a vast shield that kept everything within in a state of perpetual summer, and prevented the Frozen North's environmental influence from affecting the rest of Equestria. Through this, the snow and weather outside the Empire's shield was light, wonderful, and bearable. And as such, the Crystal Borderlands, especially Poneva city, became a tourist location for ponies seeking the region's powdery slopes, winter wonderlands, and ease of access to the Crystal Empire. Environment The Northern Wasteland was and still is a rugged, mountainous, and heavily-forested region of Equestria. Today, its forests remain standing but devastated by balefire, scorched black, much like most if not all of the flora that once carpeted the North's hilly landscape. Much of the scorched flora and trees have fallen to the North's brutal winds, or buried by blizzards and snow dozens of feet high. But those that remain are a grim reminder of a landscape that may have been beautiful, once. Frozen, irradiated rivers run through Poneva city to the Crystal Empire into a massive lake at its heart, cutting the Northern Wasteland in half from the midwest to the far north. This frozen lake is largely unexplored and avoided, for no one knows what may lie in wait beneath its frozen, watery surface. The Northern Wasteland's western coast is lined with an immense mountain range that stretches as far as the furthest corner of Poneva city, whose north-western border with the open coastline is guarded by a single mountain pass between the Crystal Mountains. Notable Locations and Regions Crystal Borderlands The Crystal Borderlands encompassed much of the Equestrian North, including the cities of Poneva and Flankorage. The ruins of these cities still stand, and in Poneva's case, have been largely reclaimed by the survivors of the balefire apocalypse, with Poneva being home to the largest concentration of life in the North. Poneva, in present day, is known for both its massive hydroponic and magically-maintained plantations, which are located in Poneva's Outer City. For this, it has become a center of trade in the North, drawing traders from the South who make the arduous journey northward to bring home goods that cannot be grown or produced elsewhere, such as fresh fruit and vegetables. Minor settlements outside of Poneva are sparse and in between, but are otherwise caravan resting points for traveler and traders, or closely knit abodes home to moderately large populations of ponies. These settlements, however, are constantly threatened by roving bands and even hordes of Snow Furies, slavers from both the North and the South, and dangerous monsters - mutant and pony alike. In this region, there are also a number of Stables buried beneath the snow or built into the slopes of mountains. Among them, the Stables are known to exist here are Stable 91, Stable 95, Stable 98, and Stable 103, and Stable 105. Whether or not these Stables, except Stable 91, survived the apocalypse is unknown. The Crystal Ruins The Crystal Empire was bombed to oblivion at the close of the Great War. How this came to be is not known, as many believe that its '''Crystal Heart should have been strong enough to repel whatever the Zebras could have thrown at it. Regardless, the Crystal Empire is nothing but a shadow of its former self, its cities and its capital reduced to burned out ruins. Inhabitants The Northern Wasteland is home to, largely, the generations of survivors that had been spared when the balefire bombs fell upon the Northerly cities. These ponies either live in minor settlements throughout the Crystal Borderlands, or in the reclaimed Outer City of the ruins of Poneva. Of the civilized remains of the pony population, there are a rabid few that populate the North. These psychotic ponies, known as Snow Furies by Northern wastelanders, roam the wastes, ambushing traders, caravans, or settlements and dragging them into the snow - never to be seen again. Zebra tribes, either remnants of stranded Zebra legions, or Zebras that have been living there since before the war, also live in minor settlements throughout this region. They are, however, spited and hated by the ponies that live in the North, and are forced to live in isolation from the rest of the wasteland. There are a few pony settlements that cooperate with the zebra settlements, but they are few and in between. A new addition to the wintry wasteland is the sudden appearance of Bat Ponies. Haggard and reduced to nothing but wandering caravans by an unknown foe, they search for homes and kind souls to take them. It is unknown where these bat ponies came from, but it is clear that they are an unsettling sight to many ponies in the North, who have never seen their kind before. Like the Zebras, their pony cousins distrust them and are wary in their presence, and thus it is difficult for these weary ponies to find new places to settle down. Wildlife Due to the lack of the sun's warm rays, there is not a single stem or trunk of plantlife that exists outdoors in the Northern Wasteland. Because of this, most if not all of the wildlife that somehow remains in the North are carnivorous predators. Among these are Bloodletters and Snow Devils, which are heavily mutated canines and bears, respectively. Other creatures that roam the Northern Wastes are Haunters, which have so far, only been mentioned in Rising Dawn. Category:Rising Dawn Category:Locations